JOHANNESBURG – Sale Sharks have announced the signing of South Africa international Faf de Klerk, the club said in a statement.

The Springbok scrum-half will be joining the Premiership club on a three-year deal.

At 25, de Klerk has made 11 appearances for South Africa since his international debut in 2016 and has been described as a world class signing by Sharks’ Director of Rugby, Steve Diamond.

“I am made up that Faf has decided to join us next season. He is tenacious with a fantastic work rate, he dictates the tempo and direction of the game and I think he will fit in well both with our style of play, and with a young, ambitious squad.

“He’s an unbelievable ball carrier, has a solid kicking game and he is exciting around the pitch. He sees the weakness in his opposition and can leverage this to his advantage.

“He’s young but has massive experience and this will be crucial in helping us to build on the foundations we have put in place this year.”

De Klerk will step into the shoes of Welsh international scrum-half Mike Phillips, who announced that he will retire at the end of this season, following a year-long stint at Sale Sharks.

He joins Sale Sharks from Super Rugby team the Lions, after helping the club reach their first ever Super Rugby final last season.